GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Teri C. Balser, dean of the University of Florida’s College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, this week was elected to the board of the American Institute of Biological Sciences (AIBS). The board governs the 66-year-old scientific association, headquartered in Reston, Va.

“I’m pleased to have an opportunity for national service,” Balser said, noting that the organization and its publication, BioScience, are dedicated to promoting new ideas and also has a focus on education. “I’m committed to supporting biology education and creating leadership in it. I think we really need more space for innovation and education in the life sciences.”

Balser has served on the AIBS education committee in past years. As dean of the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, part of UF’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, she oversees all aspects of the college’s undergraduate and graduate education programs. She is also a professor in the soil and water science department, is a national Fellow with the Partnership for Undergraduate Life Sciences Education, and was the Carnegie 2010 U.S. Professor of the Year.

AIBS provides the biological sciences community and various government and non-government clients with services ranging from peer-review of grant programs to numerous initiatives in undergraduate science education, science policy, and scientific communications.

The new board will take office Jan. 1, 2014.

The 2014 AIBS Board of Directors:

President: Dr. Joseph Travis of Florida State University

Vice President: Dr. Karen Schmaling of Washington State University

Secretary: Dr. Judith Skog of George Mason University

Treasurer: Dr. John Tobin of Credit Suisse

Other board members:

Dr. John Burris of the Burroughs Wellcome Fund

Dr. James Collins of Arizona State University

Dr. Muriel Poston of Pitzer College

Dr. Susan Stafford of the University of Minnesota

Dr. Michael Cato of Vassar College

Dr. Eric Nagy of the University of Virginia

Dr. Alan Savitzky of Utah State University

Dr. Charles Fenster of the University of Maryland

Dr. David M. Leslie, Jr. of the Oklahoma Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit

Dr. Steward Pickett of the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies

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Contacts

Writer: Kimberly Moore Wilmoth, 352-294-3302, k.moore.wilmoth@ufl.edu

Source: Dr. Teri Balser, 352-392-1961, tcbalser@ufl.edu

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